The Dirty Dozen (1967)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screenplay) and
Lukas Heller (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 June 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

Train them! Excite them! Arm them!...Then turn them loose on the Nazis!

Plot:

A US Army Major is assigned a dozen convicted murderers to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of German officers in World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Major | Mission | General | U.S. Army | Military

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. May 25	8:00 PM	AMC
Mon. May 28	5:15 PM	TCM

Cast

Lee Marvin	...	Major Reisman
Ernest Borgnine	...	General Worden
Charles Bronson	...	Joseph Wladislaw
Jim Brown	...	Robert Jefferson
John Cassavetes	...	Victor Franko
Richard Jaeckel	...	Sergeant Bowren
George Kennedy	...	Major Max Armbruster
Trini López	...	Pedro Jiminez (as Trini Lopez)
Ralph Meeker	...	Captain Stuart Kinder
Robert Ryan	...	Col. Everett Dasher Breed
Telly Savalas	...	Archer Maggott
Donald Sutherland	...	Vernon Pinkley
Clint Walker	...	Samson Posey
Robert Webber	...	General Denton
Tom Busby	...	Milo Vladek
Ben Carruthers	...	Glenn Gilpin
Stuart Cooper	...	Roscoe Lever
Robert Phillips	...	Corporal Morgan
Colin Maitland	...	Seth Sawyer
Al Mancini	...	Tassos Bravos
George Roubicek	...	Pvt. Arthur James Gardner
Thick Wilson	...	General Worden's Aide
Dora Reisser	...	German Officer's Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gerard Heinz	...	Card-Playing German Officer (uncredited)
John G. Heller	...	2nd German Sentry at Chateau (uncredited)
John Hollis	...	German Porter at Chateau (uncredited)
Hildegard Knef	...	(uncredited)
Richard Marner	...	German Sentry at Chateau (uncredited)
Dick Miller	...	MP at Hanging (uncredited)
Lionel Murton	...	MP Lt. Col. in charge at hanging (uncredited)
Suzanne Owens-Duval	...	Prostitute (uncredited)
Frederick Schiller	...	Drunken German General (uncredited)
Richard Shaw	...	German Officer Who Seals the Bunker (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Aldrich

Writing credits
Nunnally Johnson		(screenplay) and
Lukas Heller		(screenplay)
E.M. Nathanson		(novel)

Produced by
Raymond Anzarut	....	associate producer
Kenneth Hyman	....	producer

Original Music by
Frank De Vol		(as De Vol)

Cinematography by
Edward Scaife		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael Luciano

Art Direction by
William Hutchinson		(as W.E. Hutchinson)

Makeup Department
Ernest Gasser	....	makeup artist
Wally Schneiderman	....	makeup artist (as Walter Schneiderman)

Production Management
Julian Mackintosh	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bert Batt	....	assistant director

Art Department
Colin Grimes	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Tim Hutchinson	....	set designer (uncredited)
Mickey Lennon	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Claude Hitchcock	....	sound recording
Franklin Milton	....	sound recording
John Poyner	....	sound editor
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Cliff Richardson	....	special effects supervisor
Alan Barnard	....	special effects (uncredited)
Jimmy Harris	....	special effects (uncredited)
Peter Hutchinson	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Garth Inns	....	special effects (uncredited)
Roy Whybrow	....	special effects (uncredited)
Jack Woodbridge	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Ken Buckle	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gerry Crampton	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Gerry Crampton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Dowdall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Dunne	....	stunts (uncredited)
Romo Gorrara	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
William Offer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terence Plummer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mike Reid	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Terry Richards	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rocky Taylor	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Weston	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan McCabe	....	camera operator
Tony Spratling	....	camera operator
Chris Ashbrook	....	focus puller: second unit (uncredited)
Jim Dawes	....	grip (uncredited)
Dennis Fraser	....	grip (uncredited)
Paul Wilson	....	camera operator (uncredited)
David Wynn-Jones	....	clapper loader (uncredited)

Music Department
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Frank De Vol	....	conductor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Walter Lesley Tiley	....	truck driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	continuity
Walter Blake	....	main title design
Jim Dowdall	....	armorer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presented by)
• MKH
• Seven Arts Productions

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Filmipaja (1967) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1970) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Cinéma International Corporation (CIC) (1976) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1986) (Finland) (TV) (2005)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1990) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (Finland) (video)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1996) (Finland) (TV) (1998) (2000)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Creative Design (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (HD DVD)
• Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (2007) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Bros. Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (Special Edition)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (????) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Herald Pony (????) (Japan) (VHS)
• Warner Brothers (????) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2009) (Germany) (DVD) (Premium Edition)
• Warner Home Video (????) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Karma Transport  transportation (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"Dirty Dozen" - International (English title) (informal title)

Runtime:

150 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German | French | Spanish | Latin

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #20802) | Iceland:16 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:16 (f) | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 (tv rating) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1968) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) (1995) | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Aldbury, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

MGM's biggest moneymaker of 1967.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Chateau scene: When Jefferson shoots the soldier through the 2nd-floor window, there doesn't appear to be any glass in the framing, but we clearly hear the sound of shattering glass as the soldier tumbles.

Quotes:

Major John Reisman:[Kinder has just finished a psychiatric evaluation of Reisman's troops] So what does that give you?
Capt. Stuart Kinder:Doesn't give me anything. But along with these other results, it gives *you* just about the most twisted, anti-social bunch of psychopathic deformities I have ever run into! And the worst, the most dangerous of the bunch, is Maggott. You've got one religious maniac, one malignant dwarf, two near-idiots... and the rest I don't even wanna think about!
Major John Reisman:Well, I can't think of a better way to fight a war.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Christian Licorice Store (1971)

Soundtrack:

You're In the Army Now

The Greatest War Adventure of all time

This is one of the most entertaining action packed war films ever made with a tremendous cast playing unique characters. I first saw this film when I was about 8 year old and thought it was the best thing I'd seen on TV.

Lee Marvin heads the cast as an unorthadox, short on discipline rebellious Major during World War II whose given a suicidal mission by a bunch of Generals headed by the excellent Ernest Borgnine. He must take 12 convicts train them and take them on a mission behind enemy lines to destroy a large chateau and kill a large number of important German officers who'll be partying there that night.

The films explosive climax is fantastic as you know inevitably that not everyone will survive the mission and by now you've sort of chosen who your favourite characters are. The build up and the training scenes are also brilliant as you discover the backgrounds behind these violent criminals.

It's Marvin's show but John Cassavettes is superb as Victor Franco, in fact with a supporting cast featuring Robert Ryan, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, George Kennedy and Clint Walker you know you're in for a great ride, nobody is wasted.

There's a lot of humour mixed with quite serious issues...you sometimes forget that this band of jokers are killers with only one chance to survive a mission they are hardly trained for.

This classic is on par with The Great Escape and Where Eagles Dare, Three inferior TV movies were made in the mid eighties which basically take the same idea from the original but they are obviously no match.

It's available on video and DVD and every home should have a copy. Flawless.